Silicone allergy mimicking shunt infection

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this case report is to highlight silicone allergy as a rare cause of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt complication, often mimicking infection. Materials and methods Information regarding the patient presented was obtained by review of their medical notes, both paper and electronically. A literature review was performed by searching Pubmed using the following terms; silicone allergy and shunt allergy, to identify similar publications. Results Nine publications between 1994 and 2019 formed the basis of the literature review. The primary aim was to identify clinical presentations that may help to identify silicone allergy as the cause of shunt complication. Conclusion Silicone allergy is a rare cause of ventriculo-peritoneal (V-P) shunt failure and can mimic infection. This diagnosis should be consideredwith a predominantly lymphocytic CSF leucocytosis and no bacteriological evidence of a responsible organism, a peripheral eosinophilia and an intense fibrosis around a recently placed V-P shunt, as described in this case report.